[COMPASS] Curriculum Optimization & Mapping Platform for Analytics & Student Success

COMPASS
Campus Curriculum Optimization & Mapping Platform
COMPASS (Campus Curriculum Optimization & Mapping Platform) was developed and is maintained by Dr. Vignon Oussa. The project benefited from contributions by Dr. Uma Shama (strategic alignment and communication framing), Chigo Adigwe (workflow requirements and usability feedback), and Lalitha Bhavanand (implementation feedback and documentation refinement).
Funding acknowledgement. This work is supported by Bridgewater State University’s Academic Innovation Fund (InnovateBSU) through an Academic Innovation Project Grant (AY 2025–2026) for the project “Leveraging AI for Curriculum Mapping and Analytics to Enhance Academic Foundations at BSU.”

Alignment Toolkit — App Directory

A structured directory of the COMPASS ecosystem, designed for curriculum review, advising conversations, program analysis, and transfer evaluation.
Module Details
Acknowledgements & Funding
InnovateBSU
Attribution COMPASS was developed and is maintained by Dr. Vignon Oussa. The project benefited from contributions by Dr. Uma Shama (strategic alignment and communication framing), Chigo Adigwe (workflow requirements and usability feedback), and Lalitha Bhavanand (implementation feedback and documentation refinement).
Grant support Supported by Bridgewater State University’s Academic Innovation Fund (InnovateBSU) through an Academic Innovation Project Grant (AY 2025–2026) for “Leveraging AI for Curriculum Mapping and Analytics to Enhance Academic Foundations at BSU.”
Public acknowledgement Please acknowledge Academic Innovation Fund (InnovateBSU) support in publications, presentations, or exhibits resulting from this work.
Purpose & How to Use
Guide
Summary Use static tools for rapid exploration and AI assistants for deeper, query-driven analysis, scenario planning, and documentation.
Workflow
  1. Course layer: build or inspect concept dependencies.
  2. Program layer: inspect course graphs and treat outcomes as inquiry signals.
  3. Cross-course: map concepts as Introduced, Developed, or Mastered.
  4. Document: export artifacts and write “Findings, Evidence, Next Steps.”
Quick links
Concept Analyzer Program Analyzer Curriculum Mapper
Strategic Alignment
BCoSM + Gardner
Innovation Grant AI-enabled curriculum mapping and analytics to streamline curricular evaluation, provide actionable insights, and support data-driven academic planning through a modular, phased, sustainable strategy.
BCoSM Plan 2.0
  • 1A: retention and graduation support, especially first-year achievement.
  • 1C: holistic advising and equitable pathways.
  • 3C: continuous program enhancement via assessment, planning, and review.
  • 3D1: publish 4-year plans and 2-year anticipated offerings; catalog updates.
  • 4B: improve transfer pathways with regional partners.
Gardner context BSU participates in a Gardner Institute initiative to strengthen the foundational two years. Curricular analytics supports redesign by visualizing curricula, identifying complexity-related friction points, and testing changes through Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles.
Operationalization Concept Analyzer (course-level scaffolds), then Program Analyzer (pathways), then Curriculum Maps (I/D/M coverage), then Transfer Tools (next phase).
Reporting-ready sentence. This project strengthens student success by making curriculum structure visible and analyzable; supporting clearer pathways, targeted program review, and advising practices aligned with BCoSM Strategic Plan 2.0 and curricular analytics work.
Concept Analyzer
Course layer
Purpose Build within-course concept graphs (nodes = concepts, edges = supporting relationships) to clarify sequencing and scaffolding.
Tools
Static App AI App
Best practice Keep concept IDs stable over time to enable comparison across terms and clean unions across courses.
Program Analyzer
Program layer
Purpose Analyze program-level course graphs (courses as nodes; prerequisite/corequisite edges). Use structure, together with optional outcome signals, to guide inquiry and planning.
Tools
Static App AI App
Data + docs
State files (ZIP) Instructions Example report Department union example
Quick start Load a state, inspect gateways, hubs, and long prerequisite chains, treat outcomes as inquiry prompts, and export visuals for advising or assessment.
Curriculum Map Tools
Cross-course
Purpose Map where concepts are Introduced, Developed, or Mastered across courses; identify gaps and redundancy; support documentation and pathway design.
Tools
Static App AI App
Downloads
Data (ZIP) Tutorial Sample CSV
Transfer Tools
GPT
Status Available: COMPASS Transfer Analyzer (custom GPT) with a supporting tutorial.
Tools
COMPASS Transfer Analyzer Tutorial (Transfer GPT) Protocol paper (PDF)
Focus Concept-level mapping of an incoming syllabus to official curriculum concepts, followed by auditable scoring against candidate courses to support transfer-equivalency review.

At a glance. Use the nested table above as the primary reference point for links and descriptions. Export artifacts from the tools and record a concise narrative for assessment, advising, or program-review use.

COMPASS Dashboard — Qualitative Review Guide. Use this table to structure review conversations: what to ask, what to document, and which follow-up actions are feasible.
Module Guiding questions What to document
Concept Analyzer Within a course, what concepts are taught and how are they related? Is sequencing optimal for learning? Concept list and definitions; dependencies; sequencing concerns; proposed adjustments.
Program Analyzer How are courses related across the program, and how are students doing within that structure? Are outcomes satisfactory? Gateways and hubs; structural friction; questions raised by outcomes; leverage points for inquiry.
Curriculum Map Tools Where are concepts introduced, developed, and mastered across courses? I/D/M narrative; gaps and redundancy; alignment notes; feasible rebalancing proposals.
Transfer Tools How does an incoming syllabus map to the official concept list, and which local course is the best match? Mapped set; overlap and weighted scores; diagnostics; final recommendation with evidence.

Recommended output. “Findings, Evidence, Next Steps” together with exported visuals as appendices.

Downloads & Data Packages. Consolidated downloads for states, datasets, and tutorials.
Program states (ZIP) Curriculum map data (ZIP) Tutorial video Transfer GPT tutorial (page)

Best practice. Name packages by version and date for stable reference in reports.

About COMPASS. COMPASS supports curriculum alignment, advising pathways, and student success by representing curriculum structure as analyzable graphs and by producing exportable artifacts for review and communication.
Funding. Supported by BSU’s Academic Innovation Fund (InnovateBSU), Academic Innovation Project Grant (AY 2025–2026).
Responsible interpretation. Analytic flags are prompts for investigation and discussion; they do not assign blame and should not be used in isolation for operational decisions.